


shoot through the heart

by dannywrites



Category: Hero: 108
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood, Confessions, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-13
Updated: 2017-02-13
Packaged: 2018-09-23 23:31:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,326
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9687176
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dannywrites/pseuds/dannywrites
Summary: i asked lbpheromonster5 for mighty ray x lin chung ideas to write, and they asked about mighty ray confessing to lin chung when they were trapped. so here it is! feel free to leave comments and kudos ^^





	

Light streamed through the tall swathes of bamboo. It bathed the beaten path in a bright green aura. The sounds of the branches colliding gently against themselves filled the quiet air, along with the sound of dutiful turtle treads. It reminded Mighty Ray of wind chimes in the countryside; a humble, clarion call.

Mighty Ray crossed and uncrossed his legs, rotating his body on the tip of his turtle, constantly looking for _something, anything_ , in the distance. Even though the pair hadn’t left Big Green long ago, Mighty Ray was itching to move after what felt like hours of journeying. His turtle scuttled slowly along, a constant sound that grated on his nerves.

“ _Uuuuugggghhhh_ , are we there yet, Lin Chung?”  Mighty Ray moaned from behind the sharpshooter. His head bobbed up and down when it hung low on his shoulders.

Lin Chung did not look back. “We will be there soon enough.”

Mighty Ray crossed his arms and fidgeted in silence. The narrow path forbid his turtle from whizzing past Mr. Perfect to whatever was worth abandoning his friends for. He was close to blasting the forest wide open with an electric shock, but after a moment of thought, Mighty Ray brought his dominant hand back to his lap. Rank be damned, he wouldn’t lose his cool when Lin Chung had been able to keep it in check for years.

The verdant branches soon parted the path, exposing the smattering of shoots that peeked through the soil. The sun glinted against their pale attempts at pointed growth and Mighty Ray eyed them as he would a sheathed dagger. A small shrine lay in the modest shade of a shorter canopy. The ash that dusted the entrance reminded Mighty Ray of annual traditions that he had left long ago; he edged away from it in fear of catching what little scent remained.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Lin Chung asked. His eyes met Mighty Ray, only for the brawler to scoff and cross his arms again.

“I’ll do whatever it takes to take you down in training! Gimme everything you’ve got!” Mighty Ray belted. His expression was smug but melted into an impatient snarl when Lin Chung didn’t react. He simply nodded with a small smile and turned to the nearest bamboo shaft.

The thick shaft tapered off near the top of Lin Chung’s pale hair and shook violently when Lin Chung grabbed it and delivered a harsh kick at the base. The deep _thunk thunk thunk_ felt out of place in the forest, ceasing when Lin Chung finally snapped it off and spun the shaft between his fingers. The sharpshooter’s face was drawn the same way one would be when organizing a stack of meaningless papers.

He held it out to Mighty Ray with a neutral look, only to perk up into the half-smile that Mighty Ray had associated with whatever Lin Chung considered “trust”.

“I’m unsure of what sort of secret you’re looking for, but I can gladly guide you through your first meditation.”  Lin Chung said.

“What’s that supposed to mean? I’m not gonna be a freakin’ monk.”

The sharpshooter didn’t flinch. Mighty Ray’s nails dug deeper into his palm. His fist was tight but nowhere near his pocket.

“You asked me about my secret, so here it is,” Lin Chung motioned with the green pole again. Mighty Ray snatched it out of his hand without looking away.

“You need to be strong enough to hold your own weight, but that shouldn’t be a problem for you. I believe that you are feeling a lack of balance on the battlefield. Meditation should help you control it easily.”

Lin Chung pulled out his own staff and leaped into the air, a dark blur spinning and landing with his staff piercing the ground.  He was another reed in the forest, save for the faint strands of hair that the wind released. His eyes were shut and Mighty Ray could barely resist the urge to shake him down, in hopes of seeing the hero disheveled. Lin Chung interrupted his maladaptive thoughts once again with a small peek at Mighty Ray. That smile was there again and Mighty Ray’s breath hitched.

Mighty Ray grasped the pole with two vice-like grips and planted the shaft firmly on the ground. He hoisted his stout body into the air and settled his weight on top of the pole. He gritted his teeth and bolstered his whitened knuckles against the sharp edge of the bamboo’s end. The staff shook and swayed with effort when Mighty Ray was distracted with Lin Chung’s technique— _it’s because he’s tall, isn’t it?_ —and his midair butt fell down to Earth once his fingers lost its tenuous balance on the edge of the shaft.

“ _Gaaaaaaaah_ , it’s impossible! How could anybody balance on a stick?” Mighty Ray cried out, fists balled up again at the sight of Lin Chung seemingly ignoring him.

“It takes practice, my friend.” Lin Chung said reverently.  “Big Green wasn’t built in a day, and neither was our strength. You should try again.”

Against Mighty Ray’s wish to kick the base of Lin Chung’s staff and take his turtle right back up to Big Green, he felt the pole again and focused on how smooth the green wood felt.

“Alright, I’ll do it, but not because you told me to… or anything like that.” Mighty Ray said. He didn’t look back at his teammate and settled on the task in front of him. He already knew that that smile would be waiting for him there and forced the bamboo shaft back from whence it came.

*~*                                                                                                                                  

Days passed between their comings and goings, with the forest seeming less mysterious after following Lin Chung through them so often. Mighty Ray caught himself spotting the same bunches of brown, yellow, and bright, effervescent green along the trail. The thin path felt less like a prison march and more like a lazy river after almost a week. It wound in gentle curves that Mighty Ray found himself nodding off to.

Mighty Ray’s best time was about nine minutes on the staff. It was affectionately nicknamed “Bruiser” and sported Mighty Ray’s name etched in the side. It was in sloppy characters and carried dirt in every little carved out notch.

*~*

The novelty behind the name, given after he found a colorful reminder of their last session on his wrist, always brought back a small exchange that echoed in Mighty Ray’s thoughts constantly.

“Can I see your hands?” Lin Chung had asked him. Mighty Ray had given him his palms with little thought. He watched as Lin Chung’s dark eyes flitted between the round corners of his hands and said nothing.

He spread out the fingers and brought out his own. The similarities were stunning; though Lin Chung’s were more severe, countless little welts and callouses had piled over the damaged skin that covered each fold and joint under the skin. The darkened pigment of Lin Chung’s knuckles stood out like another charcoal accident on his pale skin, save for the dust and tedious clean up. What Mighty Ray saw between their hands could not be cleaned up.

“You’ve made a lot of progress since your first try, Mighty Ray. Congratulations.” Lin Chung said, giving Mighty Ray a different creature of a smile. It could have meant a thousand good things and then some, but Mighty Ray couldn’t find the motive behind it like before. It still itched a restless part of his brain that jumped in circles and pulled off botched backflips when there was too little evidence for so nebulous an idea.

~*~

For now, that side of his brain tapped its foot quietly against the floor of Mighty Ray’s head as he was approaching eight and a half minutes on the staff. The world fell away when he was on his staff next to his friend, his vision dark save for the sunlight that filtered through the narrow bamboo leaves. The gentle sounds were so different from the harsh battle cries that sent Mighty Ray’s blood boiling in the heat of combat. His mind felt clear and light like a cloud.

Little did he know that it would soon start to pour.

Suspicious ebbed into Mighty Ray’s thoughts when he felt Lin Chung’s breathing hitch. Mighty Ray opened his eyes to meet dark, alert ones.

“Someone is watching us.” The reeds were bolder than Lin Chung’s volume. Mighty Ray’s bright eyes tracked any movement between the darker parts of the forest as he waited. His breathing slowed and stopped when two rustles from the bushes in front of them sprouted blue and red figures.

“Now.” Lin Chung was off his staff and slamming the back of his staff in a flash, while Mighty Ray flung his own pole to the side, lunging at the spies while reaching for his pocket. His hand was halfway to its destination when he heard a cry from behind him, whipping his head around to see Lin Chung suspended in the air with wisps of blue and red magic. His body was twisting to escape but the magic only constricted him further. Mighty Ray grit his teeth and was knocked down by a magical blast. Maddening, terrible laughter filled his mind as their captors delighted over their catch.

“The Zebra Brothers. What brings you cowards here?!” Lin Chung spat. The zebras giggled as they hoisted Mighty Ray into the air.

“Highroller said we were supposed to spy on Big Green for—YOW!” Sparky White began, only for his darker twin to jab him in the side.

“Cut that out, you idiot!” Sparky Black said before turning to the warriors. “Doesn’t matter what we came for, ‘cause we’re gonna get some info out of you.” He turned to his brother and a pair of devious smiles creeped onto their faces as they nodded.

The ghostly magic from their lanterns flared to life and tightened its grip on the heroes. Mighty Ray sucked in his gut and tried to take even breaths, but failed when a wisp caught his neck in its grasp. He could hear Lin Chung gasping beside him and his mind was crying out for salvation.

“Why, you little— _Gah_!” He breathed in some of the wisp and it stuck in his throat like a thick scoop of dusty jelly.

“Now,” Sparky Black said. “Tell us Big Green’s secrets!”

The wisp around Lin Chung’s neck released its hold. The sharpshooter’s head sagged as he panted desperately, only to raise it with a scowl etched onto his face.

“I won’t tell you criminals anything. You have no right to—AAHH!”

“Lin, no!” Mighty Ray cried out, fishing his dominant hand out of the wisp with little success.

Lin Chung’s body thrashed violently in the air, a dark ragdoll for the brothers to swing around and toss onto the bamboo shoots. The wisps finally left his torso and slithered around his ankles and wrists. Lin Chung struggled against the restraints but the power bound to them weighed down his joints like metal ingots.  The bamboo shoots below pierced his skin and cut into the muscle of his back. He writhed and tried to arch off of the ground with his wrists as leverage, but the pressure suddenly doubled and he was left shaking in exhaustion and pain.

“Aw sweet! Just like that bamboo thing Master Highroller showed us.” Sparky White said, snickering at Mighty Ray’s renewed efforts to escape.

“Lemme outta here, you weird horses! If you don’t face me like a real warrior, I’ll fry your hides faster that you can say ‘please’!”

The brothers exploded into peals of laughter at Mighty Ray’s empty threats. “You really think that we’re gonna let you two go? Once we learn everything about Big Green, Highroller will take over your stinkin’ base and give us mountains of candy! And there’s nothin’ you can— Ouch!”

Mighty Ray tried to peer down at the Zebra Brothers, only to spy two figures of green on the ground. The turtles!

“Argh, you were supposed to catch their turtles, you dingaling! Now you’ve gone and made us look bad!” Sparky Black complained. The turtles were treading small, fast circles around the two imbeciles, nipping at their heels and weaving between their legs with determined fervor.

“It was your fault for not catching them sooner! You know your memory is better than mine!”

“It might be but Highroller gave you the orders first!”

“Did not!”

“Did too!”

“Did not!”

“Did too!”

The two brothers lunged at each other and disappeared into a dusty cloud of curses and hooves. Mighty Ray would’ve laughed at them but the pained groans below him reminded him of another priority.

“Hey, turtles!” Mighty Ray called out to the reptiles below. Their little heads caught sight of the brawler above, and he only had to swing his head toward Big Green to send them scuttling quickly into the tall branches.

“Mighty R—ahh!” Lin Chung said. Mighty Ray nearly cried out when he yanked his head to look over at his friend. He was paler than usual and the skin beneath the ghostly wisps was a deep reddish-purple. Scarlet pooled from under the shoots and Mighty Ray had to calm the skittish feeling in his core that wanted to struggle against his own bonds.

“H-how deep are the shoots? You need to stay awake Lin Chung!” Mighty Ray cried out. He flexed his core and his arms between the wisps. If he could reach into his right pocket, he could blast them out before the Zebra Brothers came back. He stretched his hand closer and closer but with only an inch between them and freedom.

“I don’t…know if I can…stay up…” Lin’s eyes were pointed up at the sky, looking that focus that Mighty Ray always admired before a battle.

Mighty Ray jolted at the small recollection. Admired? No, that couldn’t be right. Mighty Ray had always envied Lin Chung’s skill. Sure, he had never harbored any deep resentment for him but the inadequacy he felt alongside him in battle was a constant thorn in his side. But was it something else entirely? Was that the creeping feeling that had been growing since that first meditation?

The fog that clouded Mighty Ray’s mind cleared and truth flooded into his thoughts.

“Lin Chung! I need you to know something!” Mighty Ray yelled, feeling his knuckles burn as he scrambled for the edge of the pocket.

“I dunno if this sounds weird or not but…I really like you! A lot! And if you could, just, uh, not die for a minute, I think I can get us out of this!”

Mighty Ray’s eyes were squeezed shut, not daring to look at his friend. He could hear his friend’s— _could I still call him that?—_ pained breathing and it was enough.

“Ray…” Lin Chung said. He smiled and fought to keep his eyes open. “I believe in you, Ray. I always have.”

The smooth peel brushed against Mighty Ray’s fingertips. He injected every last drop of strength and adrenaline into his hand.

_I am Mighty Ray! Fear my eyeballs!_

_~*~_

_Bright, stinging flashes crowded his vision. The pressure left his wrists and the spikes below suddenly felt bearable. He was so tired, but he knew that someone still needed him._

_How strange that it had been months since his last injury. He wondered if Sonia and Jumpy would scold him for being so careless._

_The red blur above dropped to his feet and pulled him by the hakama off the ground. He dragged his sagging body, dripping with wet, warm blood, onto his own and made quick work of his vest. There was some mumbling about stopping the bleeding and he let him do his work in silence. Being quiet was easy. Some would call it a virtue._

_The fabric carried the heat of the sun but the pain held the deeper, stinging wounds at bay. His friend took him by the shoulders and looked into his lidded eyes. There were so many things in his glassy eyes, so many things that he wanted to wave away with ease._

_Slowly, he angled his forehead against that of his friend. He felt his friend’s hands shake, so he took them into his own. They were calloused beyond belief but he soaked in the heat, let it anchor him to the waking world. He felt his friend’s breath slow and understood what he had felt all along._

_~*~_

Mighty Ray was sent to his room for the night, while Lin Chung had to spend it in the infirmary. Mighty Ray had to give the Commander a report in Lin Chung’s place. There was little talk of retaliation, only whatever it took to keep them both alive.

The last candle had long been snuffed out when all of the animals and heroes in Big Green turned in for the night. Mighty Ray turned in his sleep, gauze itching his skin and scrapping his slimy wounds.

 _Knock, knock._ A quiet “Ray?” broke the stuffy air and Mighty Ray scrambled to open the hatch.

Lin was a mess. His helmet was gone and his hair was sticking up in odd angles. His eyes were still half lidded and underlined with grime and sweat. His torso was swathed in white gauze and he clutched his core carefully. He was upright and his pursed lips told Mighty Ray that coming a few floors down from the infirmary wasn’t something Woo the Wise would allow.

“I needed to talk to you. Could you come outside?” Lin Chung asked. Mighty Ray nodded and climbed into the hall.

“Er, you can just forget about what I said back there. If you want.” Mighty Ray began. He was glad that the only source of light was a window far down the hall, but still kept his gaze down to the floor.

Lin Chung brought Mighty Ray’s chin up. _Stinkin’ Panther Vision, almost forgot._

“I accept your confession, Mighty Ray.”

“Yeah, that’s fi—I, I, say what now?!” Mighty Ray’s eyes blew wide open. He could see Lin’s mouth curl into a smile and felt his heart thud harder in his chest when he chuckled warmly.

“Of course. To say the least, I had always admired how you always pushed yourself harder as a warrior. That was why I wanted to teach you to meditate. I love seeing you succeed.”

Heat flooded Mighty Ray’s face as he tried to mutter out a response. “Oh! Wow, then, great! So does that mean we can go out then?”

Lin Chung chuckled again and took Mighty Ray’s hand into his own, pressed it against his jaw and kissed the rough middle of the palm.

“As soon as I recover, I’ll go anywhere you take me.”

Now it was Mighty Ray’s turn to laugh. The kiss tickled, but he knew that he wanted to feel whatever Lin Chung was willing to give him.

“Hey, I think you missed your mark. So much for being Big Green’s best warrior! Heh.”Mighty Ray boasted. The sharpshooter let out a smug “hmph” and raised an eyebrow.

“I suppose I’ll have to try again.”

Lin Chung gripped Mighty Ray’s shoulder and brushed his lips against the corner of Mighty Ray’s mouth. It was soft and a tad dry, but Mighty Ray’s knees trembled with effort as he felt his lover’s tongue caress his own.

As soon as it started, Lin Chung pulled away and walked down the hall, out of Mighty Ray’s reach.

“Sorry for missing again! I guess I’ll have to try again tomorrow.” Lin Chung called down the hall, making his way to the stairs. Mighty Ray was on his tail before the sharpshooter could get much farther, hollering about how he would wake up the whole base with his “bad aim”.

After all, they would have plenty of time to practice in the future.

**Author's Note:**

> fun facts: 1) the thing that lin chung wears is likely a hakama, which is a type of kimono that japanese archers use when shooting. they often tie back the left sleeve to expose their left nipple because Technique. im pretty sure thats why hanzo shimada from overwatch has the same design.  
> 2) chinese bamboo torture is a thing! hero 108's setting probably predates it though. the mythbusters did an episode on the technique and discovered that bamboo could actually grow through human flesh within a few days.


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